After facing several controversies in 2016, "Running Man" is recognized as the king of all variety shows in South Korea. This is according to the fans from around the world who responded to an annual survey.
At the 12th Annual Soompi Awards, "Running Man" was declared the Best Variety Show. Voted by hallyu fans from 139 countries across the globe, the winners of the annual survey were announced on March 2, Thursday, by Soompi.
With Fuse and ZANYBROS as partners, the United States-based online news provider specializing in Korean pop culture received almost 100 million votes from Dec. 19, 2016 to Jan. 16. There were 29 categories in the survey.
In response to the victory of the SBS variety program, producing director (PD) Lee Hwan Jin thanked the fans around the world for the love they have given the show in 2016, Naver quoted him as saying. She also promised that they will do their best to continue to bring joy to fans in 2017.
This is the second time "Running Man" won in the Best Variety Show category. The first time was in 2015.
This year, "Running Man" defeated nine other variety shows. These are "2 Days & 1 Night," "Hit the Stage," "Infinite Challenge," "King of Masked Singer," "Problematic Men," "Sister's Slam Dunk," "The Return of Superman," "We Got Married" and "Weekly Idol."
"Running Man" owes its international popularity to its energetic cast, which includes Haha, Lee Kwang Soo, Yoo Jae Suk, Ji Suk Jin, Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo. The variety show is also known for its diversified episode formats and guests.
In 2016, the variety show became controversial because of Kim and Song's removal from the cast without prior notice. But after several negotiations, SBS decided to keep all of the remaining cast members.
Watch a video of 12th Annual Soompi Awards here:
